All We Ever Are
by WonderChild90
Summary: 18 shares a heart to heart conversation about life and love with her daughter one afternoon. Rated T for one use of strong language. Enjoy!


A/N: It has been SO long since I've written anything in this fandom! With the recent Dragonball Super episodes, and the fantastic development they have brought to my favorite pairing in the whole series, I found myself inspired, and I knew I had to produce something! I tried to keep it in character, but I think I gave myself cavities from the fluff content. I'm a little admittedly rusty, so it may be ooc, the formatting may be (will be) wonky because although I've been a proud member since 2004, I've never understood how to properly format a story, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! Long live K18 :3

The warm, balmy summer breeze rocked the hammock ever so slightly as 18 thumbed absentmindedly through a magazine. Krillin was out for the day, Marron was away at school, and all of the housework was done. A light smile graced her featured as she enjoyed a quiet afternoon in the backyard. One of her long, graceful legs dangled off the side of the hammock, allowing her foot to tangle itself in the grass. She jumped, and almost dropped her magazine as her phone began to vibrate, and her ringtone pierced the stillness of the moment. She grabbed for the device and flipped it over, greeted with a picture of she and her husband with their daughter on her first day of high school.

"Hey." She said simply as she answered.

"Hi honey." Her smile grew ever warmer and more beautiful as her husband's voice greeted her on the other side of the phone. "Do we need anything from the grocery store?"

"I don't think so? Aren't you still at work?"

"Well yeah, but I'm bored half to death sitting here. I'm in the station today. I was just thinking about you I guess. Looking for an excuse to call." Krillin's voice took on a goofy, swooning tone. 18 rolled her eyes, the smile still illuminating her face.

"You don't need an excuse to call me."

"I know, I know. What are you up to, anyway?"

"Nothing. Sitting out in the yard reading a magazine. Everything else is done. Hang on." She drew her phone back and pressed a button. After a minute, her husband's face appeared on the screen. "Better?" After a few silent moment, she tilted her head, confused. "Krillin?"

"Hi, beautiful…" His voice trailed off. "You uh, come here often?"

"Oh my god, stop." She threw her head back, mostly to hide her lightly tinted cheeks. The next few minutes were filled with idle conversation, or maybe it was a few hours, 18 wasn't exactly sure. She felt the world melt away when talking with Krillin, and she noticed that everything else got harder to focus on. "I think I might call 17 today. I haven't heard from him yet this week. Gotta make sure he's not dead in a ditch somewhere every once in a while, I guess." She winked at the phone.

"Is Marron home yet?"

"Not yet. She had something to do after school. One of her clubs, I think."

"You don't know? Jeez, mom. Slackin' on the job, huh?"

"You don't know either, do you? No? Good, then shut it." 18 glared into the phone, holding the face for a few moments before sticking her tongue out at the phone. "Jerk."

"Hey! Is that any way to speak to your adoring husband? Your biggest fan? Your one true admir-Hey! Are you listening?" He noticed the way his wife threw herself back in the hammock, closing her eyes and pretending to be asleep.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I must have dozed off." She rolled over onto her side, gazing coyly at the phone, twirling her hair around a finger. She noticed the way Krillin's eyes studied her, and could only guess what was going through his head at the moment. She held back a laugh, acutely aware of what she was doing. "It's just so nice out. I sure wish I had some company." Her voice rose up half an octave, and took on a sultry lilt that she reserved for just such an occasion. She rolled over onto her back, sprawling out in almost feline fashion.

"Jeez! Y-you know? It's getting kinda hot in here. I think the AC's on the fritz again. I uh, I may go out on patrol for a while. I-I-I haven't done that yet today and y-…18 that's not fair!" 18 laughed.

"Go on. Go keep the city safe, you dork. I'll see you when you get home." She kissed her fingertip and pressed it against the screen.

"Yeah. See you when you get home." Krillin had his arms crossed, and his face in a mock pout. He dissolved into a smile soon enough. "Love ya, babe."

"Love you too. Bye."

18 was about to put her phone down, but she picked it back up and dialed a different number. In the same breath, her voice changed, losing its sultry tone in favor of a voice only a sibling could understand.

"I just wanted to make sure you're not dead. I haven't heard from you all week." She spoke into a phone. A scoff was heard on the other end.

"Gee, thanks Sis. What if I actually was dead, huh? What would you have done?"

"I dunno. Gone and found your corpse, probably laughed at it a little, and then wished you back with the dragonballs?"

"What are you up to, anyway?"

"Nothing much. Hanging out in the backyard reading. You?"

"Well? Waiting for a turtle to lay eggs, actually."

"Why do you have to wait for it?"

"To make sure nothing kills the babies. They're gonna have to make it all the way to the water as soon as they hatch."

"That sounds pretty exciting, actually."

"You wanna come watch? She shouldn't be laying for another few hours yet."

"Maybe. Marron's about to get home from school, so once she's settled I might. It would be good to see you."

"You too. If you can't make it, it's fine. Maybe we can hang out next week when I'm on a break." 18 smiled against the phone, taking a brief moment to be thankful that she and her brother were still as close as they had been, and that the events of their life had not torn them apart.

"Okay, yeah. That sounds good." 18 looked up as she heard the gate swing open. "Hey, Marron's home. I'm gonna go say hi. I'll text you later, okay? Don't die out there."

"Sure. Later."

18 stood up from the hammock, giving a graceful stretch and grounding her feet in the warm, lush grass. She walked toward her daughter, who dropped her bag on the ground. As 18 grew closer, she became aware that something was amiss. Marron's face, resembling her mother more and more each day, was sullen and distracted, where it was normally cheerful and alert.

"Hi baby, did you have a good day at school?" 18 walked up to her daughter, drawing her in for a hug and kissing her forehead. She noted the way her daughter's lean, graceful body formed against her, lingering a little longer than usual, knowing that her daughter was growing bigger and bigger, and would grow more independent with each passing day.

"No… I had a bad day."

"What was so bad about it?" 18 gently pushed her daughter out of her embrace, fawning over the loose strands of golden hair that fell against her face. Truly, there wasn't a single other soul on the planet that 18 loved as dearly as her daughter. "Do I need to go beat anyone up?"

"No, mama." Marron shook her head, leaning back against her mother.

"Go on, go sit in the hammock. I'll make you a snack and we can talk about it, okay?"

18 disappeared into the house, returning a few minutes later with half of a sandwich, and a handful of strawberries on a plate, and a glass of lemonade. Marron was waiting in the hammock, her knees drawn up toward her chest. When 18 approached, she handed the plate and glass to her daughter.

"Do you think I'm the only high schooler who still likes the crusts cut off?" She asked.

"Your father is still entirely convinced that when you cut something into a fun shape, it tastes better. So no, it's not that weird." 18 chuckled as she joined her daughter in the hammock. "So, talk to me. What happened today?" Marron was silent for a while, but she finally spoke, grasping her lemonade in both hands as she looked down into it.

"It's just… I've had a crush on this one boy like literally forever." 18 chuckled at just how much of a teenager her daughter had become. "I finally had the chance to get close to him because of this new club, and I thought it was gonna be so great, but…" Marron trailed off. "Every time I get close to a boy, they turn out to be a jerk, or not what I thought they were. I feel like I'm never going to find someone for me. Like I'll be alone and single forever." Marron groaned and buried her head in her arms, "What's wrong with me? Why can't I find anyone?"

"Why is it a race? You'll find someone, and you'll look back on all of this and laugh. You just have to give it time, baby. These things don't happen overnight."

"How did you know you were in love with dad?"

18 felt as if someone had dumped a ton of ice water over her entire body. She hadn't expected such a sudden, innocent question to suddenly make her feel microscopic. However, one more look at her daughter's face gave her a boost of confidence.

"That's… That's a really big question, Marron."

"Do you not love dad?"

"Oh, of course I do. It's just… You have to understand that my situation wasn't exactly what you'd call normal…"

"Oh, like how you were kind of not good a long time ago? Dad told me a little bit about it."

"He did? What did he tell you?" 18 waited fearfully for her daughter's response.

"Well, he told me you and Uncle 17 were kidnapped as kids, and experimented on by some weird doctor guy. And you guys did some pretty bad stuff. But the dragonballs made it all better. Some of it was confusing, but that's basically what he said."

"I guess… I guess that's what drew me to him in the first place. When your uncle and I had just escaped from the lab, we ran into your dad and his friend. The way your dad stood up to us even though we were ready to kill him on the spot… I dunno, it was really cute."

"Ew, mom."

"Hey, you asked for this story. You're gonna get it, like it or not." 18 wiggled a finger at her daughter.

"Your dad found me after he and his friends had saved the world, and the rest is history. But, that doesn't answer your question, does it…" Marron shook her head. " Your dad, he's just, I dunno. He's perfect. But he's not totally perfect. Just perfect for me. He's sweet, and funny, and sometimes he's so sickening I want to smack him. But, He's there for me, in a way that I didn't think anyone would ever be. When you spend a lot of time on the dark path I was on and you get rescued from it, you tend to suspect that you'll never find your place in society again. That you'll always be an outcast, and every single person will know exactly what you're guilty of. It was your dad that took that guilt off of my shoulders. I can go out in public now without fear of dirty looks, and I've actually made friends." She smiled. "I don't wake up every day feeling like a criminal now, and he helped me heal from the past. When you find someone who's right for you, you'll just know." 18 looked up at her daughter, smiling at her obvious confusion. "It'll be this feeling in your gut that you can't ignore no matter how hard you try. They'll make you laugh, make you cry, and…" 18 bit her lip as a flood of emotion rose to the surface, "They'll take the most broken, horrible, twisted parts of you, and find twice as many reasons to love you through all of them. You'll be turned into something so beautiful that nothing else really matters anymore. It may not make a whole lot of sense to you right now, but someday it will."

"That sounds pretty weird."

"Yeah, that's about right. It's okay. Just remember what I said, and someday it'll make sense. For now, just keep on being you. Someone will love you for exactly that, and you won't need to do anything more." 18 leaned forward and kissed her daughter's forehead. "Okay?"

"Okay." Marron wasn't entirely sure she understood her mother's words, but 18 usually wasn't the type for lengthy explanations, so it had to be worth remembering.

At that moment, the gate in the backyard swung open, and Krillin stepped through, his police helmet tucked under the opposite arm.

"Daddy!" Marron called happily, waving her arm. Krillin looked up and his face illuminated.

"Hey! My two favorite ladies." He flew over to greet his daughter, wrapping his arms around her. After they separated, Marron's eyes widened.

"I forgot! I took a ton of pictures of our first club day today. Let me go get my phone." She scurried into the house, and Krillin's eyes gravitated back to the woman standing a few feet from him. He grinned, rising into the air in order to meet her eyes.

"Hey mama." He put his hands on her hips, kissing her gently. 18, not wanting words at the moment, draped her arms over her husband's neck, drawing him close. "H-hey lady, Marron's gonna be back any second ya know." He noticed the stars in his wife's eyes, and found it slightly odd. He was, however, unable to ignore the brilliant blue orbs staring back at him. "I ever tell you how beautiful you are?"

"Mm, dunno. Better say it again." 18 could feel her cheeks heating up. Never in her life did she imagine that one person would hold the power to reduce her to a lovestruck fool like this… Their lips were just barely touching when they heard the back door open, and their daughter running across the grass. 18 drew back, giggling in a way that no one but Krillin would ever know the sound of. "Catch me again later, okay officer?" She heard Krillin's breath catch in his throat, and he crossed his arms.

"You are just the worst, you know? Twice in one day?"

"Oh! By the way, I'm going to meet my brother in a bit. I won't be all night, I don't think. Something about watching turtles hatch." 18 shrugged. "Sounds interesting enough."

"Sure does. I can hold down the fort while you're gone."

"Tell Uncle 17 I said hi!" Marron said as she thumbed through pictures on her phone, turning to show her parents what she had been up to at school….

Later, as the sun began to descend behind the horizon, 18 sat at the edge of the shore with her brother, watching the tiny turtle babies scuttle across the sand toward the ocean.

"This is cool. There are so many of them. They almost look like little ants."

"Yeah." 17 smiled. "It's really cool to watch them make it to the water."

"Kinda like raising kids."

"Huh?" 17 looked up, confused.

"You do everything you can to make sure they succeed and are happy in life. Like these baby turtles."

17 stared at his sister for a minute.

"Gross." He muttered, before laughing out loud. 18 punched his arm.

"Jerk! You have kids too. You have to have felt it at some point."

"Ow! Well sure, but you don't hear me gushing about it all poetic-like, do you?"

"No?"

"Well, there you go."

"Fuck off, 17." 18 sighed and let her head fall against her brother's shoulder for a minute before picking it back up.

"Despite everything, we did alright, you and I." 17 spoke softly, turning his head toward his sister only briefly. "You know?"

"Yeah. Yeah we did. It's pretty great."

"Kinda like these baby turtles." 17's voice was mocking, and he soon broke into laughter again. After dodging a few of his sister's wild swings directed at his head, he placed his arm around her shoulder, shaking her affectionately. 18's sibling rage eventually dissipated, and she looked back out over the beach, watching the last of the turtles scurrying toward the water, and watched the waves breaking relentlessly against the shore. Life as she knew it was perfect. Maybe not completely perfect, but perfect for her, and she wouldn't have it any other way...


End file.
